Books

In a new book, Washington Post economics writer Neil Irwin looks at an elite group of policymakers from around the world who manage the money supply, and explains how money can come from — and disappear into — thin air based on the decisions of these influential men and women.

J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy Lord of the Rings is filled with fantastical stories of elves, hobbits and wizards. But the ring at the center of his tale may have been inspired by a real ring. Owners of The Vyne, an English estate, say they possess the ring that inspired Tolkien's "ring of power."

In some ways, Christine Dumaine Leche's writing class was just like any other — there were backpacks, rough drafts, class discussions. But her classroom was on an air base in Afghanistan, and her students were active soldiers. She's collected their work in a new book called Outside The Wire.

Amid a cascade of headline news from North Korea, often forgotten are the 24 million average citizens living under the most authoritarian regime in the world. Host Jacki Lyden speaks with Barbara Demick of the Los Angeles Times on the lives of ordinary North Koreans.

As a Mormon missionary, Ryan McIlvain spent two years ringing strangers' doorbells, even as he experienced doubts about his own faith. He left the church in his mid-20s. McIlvain's debut novel, Elders, tells the story of two young Mormons carrying out their missions.

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